The Gift of the Holy Spirit — David Gooding

The Body of Christ and the Unity of the Spirit

The first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 12, and verse 12. For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. For in one spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, and were all made to drink of one spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Understanding

The two passages are to be found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, and first of all in chapter 1. Chapter 1 and verse 15. For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus, which is among you, and which you show toward all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in saints, what the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might which he brought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority at which is to come.

He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things, to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him, that filleth all. He is unto the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is made.

May he be strong to apprehend exceedingly abundantly. May every spirit be able to give to us, first of all he is given to us so that we ourselves may benefit, and then he gives us gifts so that we in turn may benefit other people.

The Holy Spirit Given to Every Believer

But we ran out of time last night, as usual, at least I ran out of time, as usual, and so before we come to talk about the gifts that Christ has given to us, we're with her brothers, let us think for a short while longer of the Holy Spirit, the gift that God has given to those who trust Christ for their spiritual.

We observed last night that God gives his Holy Spirit to everyone that trusts the Saviour. We observed that Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, that those who trust Christ, of them it can be said, you are not in the flesh, but you are in the Spirit if the Spirit is in you.

A categorical statement that gets us clear in our thinking from the start, if a believer is in Christ, then he is in the Spirit if the Spirit is in him. You can't have the one bit without the other bit.

Secondly, we were noticing the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit pouring out the love of God in our hearts, being the very root and ground of our spiritual life, acting as our guide and as our comforter and advocate, to lead us step by step through life to the final goal of being conformed to the image of God's Son.

Praying his prayers alongside our prayers, until we learn to make his prayers our own prayers, so that by our activity you get by his activity, and his activity that is nevertheless coming to be our activity.

We make progress along the path of Christian holiness, finally we shall be conformed to the image. And we talk too of his ministry of witnessing to the believer. Witnessing direct to the believer's spirit that the believer is a child of God.

Witnessing through the holy word of the prophets that God has covenanted in Jesus Christ our Lord to write his laws upon our hearts. And what is sublimely wonderful, has covenanted this that our sins and iniquities he will remember no more.

Deeper Experiences of the Holy Spirit

But someone may say, now look, if I, when I believe Christ, when I first trusted him and received eternal life, if I then receive the Holy Spirit, is that gift a static thing? That I had it then and had it all?

Or are there deeper experiences of God's Holy Spirit waiting for me as a believer? If only I had the grace and sense to see. And the answer to that question is yes, indeed, there are deeper experiences of God's Holy Spirit waiting for us.

And for that reason I read those two passages in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In which he prays for deeper experience of the Holy Spirit's power in the lives of believers. Let me remind you what he says to these people.

He says, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, so they were already Christians. They had already trusted Christ. And on trusting Christ they had received the Holy Spirit. But for these people that were already believers and already had been sealed with the Holy Spirit, Paul prays a deeper experience of that same Holy Spirit.

Let us consider what that experience is. In his first prayer he tells us, I pray this, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know, he goes on to enumerate, three things. First thing, that it is the Spirit's ministry to make known to the believer. And to make them known, not merely to a believer's mind and intellect, but to make them known to his heart.

To open the eyes of his heart, as Paul puts it. With his whole being he grasps these things. They become a real part of his existence. He sees them, not just with his mind, but with his whole being. The deeper experience of the Holy Spirit would lead us to know.

They are, says Paul, this, that we may know what is the hope of His coming, number one. What the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, number two. And what the exceeding greatness of His power is toward us, at number three.

The Hope of God’s Calling Before Spiritual Power

People seek a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit. Very often they will express themselves in terms that they are seeking greater power. They wish for greater spiritual power. This is the third in the list and not the first.

You'll see, the first thing that we need to know, and know with our very hearts, is the hope of our calling. If we plan to have trust in Him to serve the body saved that's going to be saved, then what are we going to do?

First we need our heart of His calling. And if we say, well what is that anyway? Paul here gives us in chapter one and chapter two the answer to that matter. It is first that we should forever be before God in love.

That we should be able to meet all the interests and demands of God our Creator. He made us for Himself. Made us for His own enjoyment. Our first end, the first great purpose of our salvation is that we should meet all His desires, all His pleasures, all His interests, His heart.

Even since I have come to know Christ how easy it is for me to turn inward upon myself. I am grateful for forgiveness because it makes me feel good. I seek experience of the Holy Spirit because it makes me feel good.

And our spiritual experience, we become self-centered, merely seeking our own satisfaction, whereas the purpose of our being saved is that we should satisfy God. And secondly Paul phrases himself like this, that it is the purpose of God for the organization and the administration of the age to come to head up all things in Christ.

Humanity’s Failed Dominion and the Present World Crisis

For God is yet going to fulfill the purpose that He had when He made the world. The early chapters of Genesis tell us that when God made this world He put man on this world. And He said to Adam the first man, now Adam, O fellow, look, I have put you a garden here and you develop it.

I want you to have dominion. I want you to fill the earth. I want you to run the place. I want you to administer the earth for my pleasure. What fun it would have been to have been presented with a brand new earth, only you in it.

You have the responsibility of developing the whole show. Where would you start? You don't get very far down the road before certain very big large moral problems come up. Whose world is it? And who is to have the say how it should be run?

Miserably. Our world, the chaos that now we see around. In this 1974 we are approaching a peak of economic crisis, not only in these islands, but around the whole world. In spite of our computers and in spite of our economists.

We've got vast deserts in our world that the nations dare try and cope with, because if the Americans got their Sahara in the shape, then the Russians would be jealous of the Americans and wouldn't know what the Chinese would say.

And we've got millions of folks starving. Though there's enough food for everybody, but man's selfishness won't let it go round. And we've got our world into an impossible tangle. What am I going to do with it?

Ditch it? Originally put man in charge. As the psalmist in Psalm 8 observes, O Lord, when I consider the heavens and the sun, the moon and stars, the works of thy hand, what is man that thou art mindful of him?

O son of man, that thou visitest him. Thou madest him a little lower than the angels, but you put all things under his feet. And man was to rightly not yet all things. And travelling in sorrow until now, blasted with disease and blind and torn with war and greed and jealousy.

We see not yet all things. A genuine man. And at the brink of death we see him already crowned with glory and with honour. Who taught us to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, was not teaching us to pray some vain repetition that never would be fulfilled on earth.

He taught us to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He was teaching us to pray for a purpose of God that shall be fulfilled. His will shall be done on earth. In that glorious day, says Holy Grail, to sum up all things in Christ in heaven, yes?

He taught us to ditch this world and we all go floating up to heaven and say, thank God that nightmare is over. No more us, please. Sum up all things in Christ, both those which are in heaven and those which are in earth.

The Coming Reign of Christ and the Restoration of Creation

Full responsibility waiting you away there in the future. This world, with him and for him. Fly ahead, be assured my dear brother. It's the talk of us going home to heaven, taking our shoes off and putting our feet up on the buffet and rest at last forever.

A little bit over sentimental. When you get home to heaven you won't want to rest. Listen to some Paul again. Expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. For creation was subjected to vanity and frustration, not of its own will but according to the will of him who subjected it in hope that creation itself one day shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption and all how it shall sing then to the praise of his creator.

The full grown sons that have achieved spiritual maturity and have been made exactly like Christ will be ready. We haven't got much more time. To know a second thing, or if the first thing is getting to know the purpose of his calling, the hope of our calling, the second thing is not to know what great power is available.

No, not yet. We don't want to allow too much power in our hands. Let's see what we need to know. We need our hearts enlightened that we may know what is the riches of the glory of God's inheritance in his sense, which all being interpreted means that we need our eyes open to see what a valuable treasure Mrs. Smithbund, the roadie, is.

You don't need to make me feel good. Me, so I should feel more difficult every day. And you will need, I'm not joking, you will need your eyes open to see it. For the mere charm, if I had any, of outward exterior, that soon wears very thin.

And then you won't need to be awake with me that what, you're beginning to get a little irritated by my funny mannerisms. And a good deal else that's worse than mannerisms. You will need spiritual enlightenment to see that in spite of all that, or if a concept by God's spirit, by calling, by some concept of the tremendous value of God's people to him, it is the perfect thing.

Christ Dwelling in Believers Through Inner Strength

A deeper experience of God's Holy Spirit he prays for them in chapter 3. He says, I bow my knees out of the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I mean that what Paul is praying for is not some sudden experience.

He is praying for strengthening my inner man by his spirit. Like the preacher told me the verse, didn't he, Christ will come in. And I did that. I opened the door and Christ came in. I said Paul needs to pray for me now that Christ will dwell in my heart.

Not merely that Christ should have come in, but that he should take up his residence in every heart of my people. It will require a process. There are no shortcuts to it that I know of. You see it's one thing to know with my head that Christ is in me.

It is one thing for Christ actually to be in me. Yes, we can grab that he's in me because I asked him to come in and I received him that he's in me. And I know he's in me. I can't see the truth. And then he has a view of his own.

Well, isn't it right to have a view of his own? And before I know it, you should see me steamed up. I've quite forgotten that Christ is supposed to be dwelling in my heart, haven't you? I've discussed it in theology, but never mind.

I've forgotten for the time being that Christ was meant to dwell even around theology. Clearing away the breakfast, even. Look, I'm in my bed, you know. Lovely to have exciting meetings and be right up top though, isn't it?

With marvellous feelings. Well, let's hope Christ isn't entering me. But if Christ is in your feelings when you're cleaning away the breakfast in the morning, and when the business is going difficult, and when you're trying to deal with the shop stewardess who happens to be the managing director of the firm, that position, it will need my inner man being strengthened.

That is a long drawn out process. Lots of his people bit by bit by bit by bit. We want deeper experience of God's Holy Spirit. We would be well advised to listen to Paul praying on his knees. This is the experience of the Holy Spirit to see.

Spiritual Gifts Are Given to Serve Others

Those gifts, their God, the Christ that the Holy Spirit gives to his people, for their helping of others, every one of us as believers, to help other folks. Our duty is to help other folks. We shall be given different gifts and we shall help them in different ways.

So now I turn to talk to those gifts that Christ has given to me. Yes, now this is interesting, but I've always wanted to do Christian work. Yes, but now I remind you of what Paul said in that first passage that we read.

That if you want to do Christian work, you must first be a Christian by doing Christian work. You first, Paul, tell us about these gifts that God gives and how we get them. He puts it this way, for in one spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, and were all made to drink of one spirit.

If you want to do Christian work, then you must let Christ put you in the body of Christ, members of that body. That we each then have a gift. Paul is like the human body. The human body is one, yet it has many members.

The fingers have one job, the toes have another, the hand does one job and the brain does another. All sorts of different jobs to do and gifts and faculties. Each member of the body gets those faculties when it becomes a member of the body.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Membership in Christ’s Body

Why would we become members of the body of Christ? There are those two fundamental operations that are necessary if any man or woman is to become a member of the body. Paul says he, in one spirit, were you all baptized into one body, into these Christians, these beliefs.

Paul says you were baptized in the Holy Spirit. And John the Baptist prophesied. You remember John the Baptist, how he baptized people in water? But he stood and cried and he said, there comes one after me who is mightier than he.

I baptize you in water, he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit. Let's think of John for a minute. You came to John. John got hold of you in the water. In water, says John, Christ when he comes, he will baptize you.

You will notice that it's not the Holy Spirit baptizing you, it's the Lord Jesus baptizing you. And just as John baptized people in water, so the Lord Jesus baptizes people in the Spirit. That is, when you come to Christ, Christ gets you, that Spirit.

And when we drink of the Spirit, the Spirit goes into us. Here, I've got some water here. I'll drink some water. And when Christ makes me to drink of his Spirit, his Spirit goes into me. So it does two things.

Marvelous, isn't it? And you have to have both things at the same time, of course, don't you? He baptizes me in his Spirit, that's he puts me in the Spirit. And then he makes me drink of the Spirit, he puts the Spirit.

The Spirit Within and the Believer Within the Spirit

It's the only way you could have a spiritual body. Take an analogy. Would you care to look at this body, this physical body? You've put up with the pain of it just for five minutes, perhaps. Have a brief look at this body standing in front of you.

It has many members, and yet it's one body. What is it that keeps all these members together into one body? Don't say, what if the bones and the muscles, because they don't live. A bullet through my head and laid me out on the floor would break off the wall, and came back in nine months, I'm afraid the fingers would be off the body.

Muscles and bones notwithstanding. You say, what is it that keeps all these members together and makes them one body, though they are many members? Well, the simple fact is that I'm standing here in the air, as I breathe, I am in the air, and the air is in me.

And as the air goes into me, it carries the oxygen through my breast, in my gut, to the tips of my little fingers, and my little toes, and keeps it all together. And if you were to cut off that supply of air to my little finger, then you'll gangrene and fall.

So in order to have a human body, mark what you must have. You must have two things at once, what to do. I must be in the air, and the air must be in me. Not good having one at a time. But I'm here in the air that you tie my tights and tie me around my throat, so that the air can't leave, get into me.

So I'm in the air, but the air isn't in me. Well, I go back in place. Try it the other way around. The Americans decide to shoot me into space, and they say, take a deep breath, old boy. The air goes into me, and then they shoot me out into space, but I'm not in the air.

Well, then I go pop. I have both things, and I must have both things at once. The air in me, and me in the air. And so, my dear Christian friend, is it with this matter. How are we married into the body of Christ?

We might as well talk of having a human body, with the air in the body, but the body not yet in the air. That's nonsense too. Oh, but what a glorious thing it is. Every believer baptized in the Holy Spirit, and makes a drink of that Spirit, and they could wonder are they good after all.

Every Believer’s Gift and the Motive of Love

The Holy Spirit isn't so much stuff. The Holy Spirit is a divine person. See then what a grand thing God has done for us miserable sinners, that when we trusted Christ, he not only forgave our sins, but Christ was authorized to put us in the blessed person of the divine Holy Spirit, incorporated into the very Godhead.

I must have all the gifts. It doesn't leave my foot. Similarly, if I think my own gift is pretty small, that's nonsense too. Every single member is needed, and every gift is needed. There's no room then for our members of the body of Christ.

Is there no room for seeking other gifts? There's no room for seeking. Seek spiritual gifts, says the Apostle Paul, as a general grift of grasping things can learn to grasp pen. It is possible for us to seek gifts and abilities and faculties, and if it so please God, he may help them to us.

Let us again be humble enough to listen to God telling us the motive that must be ours when we seek extra gifts. The prime motive is love. As always in Christian things it must be, but it is here pre-eminently that we must see to it that in seeking for gifts, our motive is love.

For this simple reason, that the whole purpose of love, gift, is to the other man. Well, I never swallow the stuff. And my stomach is saying, how are we passing it on to you? Passing it on? No, says the mouth, I'm just doing it to my own satisfaction.

Yes, certainly the mouth enjoys the Kellogg's Cornflakes as they pass through over time, and they're back in good time, but the whole purpose of the operation was to get the stuff to the stomach, and the stomach to pass it on to all the rest.

Yes, in the exercise of your gift you will be edified, but that wasn't the purpose of giving it to you. The purpose of gift is to help the other man. And if you seek a gift without the motive of helping the other fellow, you are sinning against the basic principle.

Gifts for Evangelism, Teaching, and Building Up the Church

Seek earnestly the best gifts, particularly that you may prophesy, because prophecy, there are two things the Holy Spirit does. He is given to me to help me. For that I don't need any special gift. For instance, if I am a sinner, and I need salvation, and I need to understand the gospel, and I need to receive the gospel and be saved, I don't have to have the gift of an evangelist, you know, to understand the gospel and get saved.

Do I? Don't need any gift. Why, if there's somebody here saved, not saved tonight, and you can't make out what all these gifts are about, well, never mind, I don't care. If you're not saved yet, you need the saviour, you need salvation, and you can have salvation this very moment, you don't have to have any Christian gift in order to get it.

On the other hand, if I'm going to be used as God to bring the gospel to somebody else, yes, I shall need the gift of an evangelist. The gift is not to help me, it's to help the other fellow. If you as a believer, you want to understand the word of God, well, you can come to the word of God directly.

God has given you his Holy Spirit so that you may understand the things that are truly given to you of God. You don't have to have the gift of a teacher before you can begin to understand the word of God.

Thank the Lord. God has given us his Spirit, all believe in his Spirit, that they might freely understand the things that God has written in his Word. But if you are going to teach other folks, you will need a gift of teacher.

The gift is to help not you, but the others. To see that in our seeking for spiritual things, we maintain this divinely appointed gift. Let us seek all those deeper experiences of God's Spirit that are given for our up-building, the enlightening of our hearts, and the strengthening of our hearts.

Let us use the gifts that God has given us by putting us in the body of Christ. If we need it, let us seek other gifts. But if you are seeking gifts, I can be sure that you only seek the thought of the Holy Spirit.

Preparing for Christ’s Second Coming

My mind goes to the ancient parable taught by Jesus Christ, turning our minds to his second coming and our need to be prepared for that coming, he said. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be lightened to temporary, waiting for the bright one.

Five of them took their lamps and a large supply of oil. A part of scripture, a symbol of God's Holy Spirit through the parable to that one comes and the virgins woke up to sleep to get ready, and they began to light their lamps.

Five lamps began to burn very brightly, and the other five lamps. Our lamps are going out there, cry! And he shall be in you, and he shall be with you. You will sing glorious Christian hymns. Yes, you will have supper.